Background
The daughter of Charles Fitzbach, a native of Luxembourg, and Geneviève Nadeau, she was born in Street-Vallier de Bellechasse, Lower Canada.
The daughter of Charles Fitzbach, a native of Luxembourg, and Geneviève Nadeau, she was born in Street-Vallier de Bellechasse, Lower Canada.
She did not go to school as a child and left home at the age of 13 to become a housekeeper in Quebec City to support her family. Three years later, she began working for François-Xavier Roy, a merchant. At the same time, she paid a student to teach her how to read and write and basic accounting.
One daughter died in 1846.
In December 1849, at the request of bishop Pierre-Flavien Turgeon, she established Saint Magdalen’s Refuge, a home for women released from prison. In February 1856, as Mother Mary of the Sacred Heart, she became the first mother superior for the Good Shepherds of Quebec.
She was the first person born in Quebec to found a religious order. She was declared venerable in June 2012.
Her portrait was painted by painter Marie-Elmina Anger, a member of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Quebec who also painted the portraits of other Quebec religious figures.